Rough Beginnings

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This is purely for fun and I gain no money for writing this.

Gotta love artistic license! You can change timelines and what happened! I hope you all enjoy! I certainly enjoyed writing!

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Kisame let out a growl as he trudged through the pouring rain. Depsite the fact he was walking in a forest the rain still managed to soak him. Normally he loved the rain but when on a mission it was nothing but a hinderance. The mud slowed his movements and the rain made the trees slick and dangerous. He would not be in this position now if it had not been for that stupid snake that was his partner. It was his fault they had to split up in the first place.

The mission had not gone as planned. It was supposed to be an easy in-and-out assassination that should have been followed out silence. However, Orochimaru's snake had missed one chakra activated alarm. The cocky bastard had accused Samehada for setting it off. He knew that the man was just trying to cover up his mistake but it was highly annoying. Because of this they had been forced to take different paths to try and lose their pursuers.

Tugging his cloak tighter around his neck he looked at the small trail from beneath his hat. Letting out a puff of air he watched as if formed a mist before him. As thick skinned as he was the rain was really starting to get to him. His body had started to shiver, he knew running would help fix the problem but any burst of chakra could be his downfall. He could not afford to get captured or killed. Now this would not be a problem if they had not been instructed to leave as many alive as possible.

Stupid clients and their oddly specific requests. Letting out a sigh he looked around to see if he could find a decent shelter. He figured he was far enough ahead that he could stop for a rest. He needed to get out of the rain for a little while least he get sick. His money stock was running low enough that he could not afford to be out of commission for any extended period of time. The organization covered most of their expenses but anything extra was on them. A missions pay was split between the partners and the Akatsuki. To say the least he never got much from the missions.

Having been forced to leave everything behind when he came to the Akatsuki, he had not had a penny to his name. It was hard to build up ones stash when one did not have one to start with. Orochimaru made it a point to rub it in his face whenever possible. Oh how he hated the damn snake sometimes. He really had no sense of mercy and compassion sometimes.

Pushing his way through some brush he shook his head to clear his mind. It was really not something he should be worrying about at the moment. A happy noise made its way from his throat as he spotted a cave. It would not be the warmest but at least it would allow him a place to rest and attempt to dry off. Hopefully the wind had blown some dry twigs and timber into the cave so he could build a small fire. It would be really nice to warm up.

Moving to the mouth of the cave he paused slightly as Samehada began to shift on his back. Frowning he tried to figure out why the sword would be acting up. It only every did such a thing when there was a large chakra source around. However, due to having to hide his own he could not distinguish where the source would be. What really had his confused was the fact that the swords vibrations were gentle, not violent like when it was draining someone's chakra. Letting out a sigh he knew that he would have to stay out in the rain a little longer. His curiosity was peeked and he would not be able to relax until he knew what was the source of his swords disturbance.

Searching for the source of chakra was a little more difficult than usual. His animal like senses were rendered near useless by the rain. Any scents and sounds were drowned out by the rain. He hated that his senses were being blocked, it was one thing he was proud of with his shark-like nature. In the end had to gage the distance and direction by Samehada's reaction. Not far from the cave he came to a small stream, it probably barely cover his ankles should he step into it. Thankfully he knew he was close due to Samehada's strong vibrations. Eventually he had to order it into submission so that he could concentrate. Looking around him he eventually spotted a small black and white mass on the other bank. Tilting his head slightly in curiosity he slowly made his way across; all the while observing the mass with his enhanced senses.

When he got close enough he could tell that it was human. Through the sound of the rain he could hear sobbing. Looking closer he could see that the form was shivering. As he moved to stand before the other he got a better look at what they wore and immediately recognized it. This person was a Konoha ANBU. But what were they doing out in the middle of a storm like this and so far from home?

He gave a snort when they did not even sense him there. It was not even worth the effort to kill it off. About to turn around lightning tore through the sky illuminating the person in front of him. The following crash of thunder caused them to scream and curl into themselves more. His eyes widened at this wondering how in hell this person could have become an ANBU. However, the pathetic display tug at his heart causing him to let out a sigh. He could not just leave this person here to suffer like this. He should just kill them but with Samehada's strong reactions to their chakra he had to check it out. Kneeling down into the mud he scooped up the smaller shinobi who just curled up against him and clung to his cloak. Something bad must have happened to this person to have them acting like this.

As he made his way back to the cave he made sure to take observations about his charge with each flash of lightning. Had he not known better he would have mistaken the boy for a girl. However, the ANBU uniform left little question about it. He was extremely pale with long, dark hair that was tied back into a low ponytail. He could not be more that thirteen years old. This kid must be good he such a high ranking shinobi, perhaps he had found someone to take back to Pain.

Then again he was just assuming that the boy had run away. Why else would he all the way out here sitting in the mud? He was too far from Konoha for it to just be a mission and he would have been smarter than to sit out in the rain as well. Something had to have happened to this kid to have him clinging to the warmth of a stranger. With a slight shake of his head he ducked into the cave, finding a dry spot to set the boy down before going in search of some dry wood. He placed Samehada against the opposite wall to make sure that it would not drain what little chakra the boy had left. The cold was known for making shinobi use extra chakra to stay warm. On top of that the boy was frightened allowing it to flare and be wasted.

It tore at his heart to hear the whimpers and whines that escaped the young boy when the storm would act up. No one should have such fears like this. Moving back to the center of the cave he set about making a fire with what little wood he could find. It would not be much but any little bit would help. Once he had gotten it started he pulled off his cloak, shirt, and shoes so he could set them next to the fire to dry. Thankfully his pants had remained relatively dry allowing him to keep them on. Turning to the boy he could not help but observe how pretty he was. He was very feminine in his looks and was small enough to make it easy to mistake him as such. He shook his head and a small smirk came to his lips. Damn he was starting to sound like Orochimaru.

"Listen kid, those clothes have to come off or you're going to get sick." He stated in a bored tone, growling slightly when he did not get a response. Damn how out of it was this boy? Moving forward he knelt down to be at the boy's level so that he could work on getting him out of his uniform. He managed to get the white armor off and the black shirt pulled over his head. It was a little difficult when the boy was just being limp and not helping. He also pulled out the boy's ponytail remembering how Deidara would do that to help his hair dry faster when it got wet. In this chilly weather he was not sure if it would help but it was worth a try.

Once again scooping the boy into his arms he moved closer to the fire. Sitting down cross-legged on the ground he sat the boy in his lap and wrapped his arms around him. It was not the most comfortable position but it would help them both warm up. He had been concerned when removing his clothing at how chilled the boy's skin was. He was actually surprised the boy was still awake with how cold he was. Out of instinct the boy snuggled against his chest, he just hoped that boy would not try and kill him once he gained his barring.

Eventually the shivering began to fade even if the strong reactions to the storm kept up. Strangely enough though they seemed slightly subdued now that the boy was with him. It seemed his presence was helping, even if it was just slightly. A toothy grin spread across his face as he gave a snort. Someone actually finding comfort in him? He was a big, blue freak with sharp teeth, thick rough skin and gills. There was hardly anything comforting about him. The boy was just out of it. He would be terrified of him once he came around or at least be disgusted. Those were the usual reactions to his appearance.

After a while the boy's shaking completely stopped, the whimpers and sobs turning into light sniffling. He could not help but take in a few more observations about the boy as he sat limply in his lap. He looked so fragile compared to him. The contrast of his blue skin against pale white was slightly disheartening at how odd he really was. The boy tilted his head up his eyes opening to reveal dark black eyes surrounded by thick lashes. Full lips that had obviously been abused by perfect white teeth during the storm as he tried to stifle his cries. The pale skin was finally taking on a rosy hue instead of a pale blue. Shaking his head he growled at how much he sounded like Orochimaru and some of the others at noticing such things. He did not have a perverted mind but when you were surrounded by vain men it was hard to avoid such things.

Eventually those dark eyes focused on his silver ones and he let a grin cross his face. "Heya kid, glad to see you're still awake. Saves me the trouble of seeing if you're alive or not." The boy's eyes narrowed showing the joke was not appreciated. However he did not move away from the heat that this stranger was giving him. Either the kid was a little slow or he felt he had nothing to fear.

"Don't call me kid." He stated in a low stoic voice. Kisame raised a brow at the command. Who did this kid think he was? "My name is Uchiha Itachi."

"Uchiha, huh?" No wonder the kid was so full of himself. He remembered Orochimaru stating that the Uchiha clan was one of the strongest families in Konoha. It was no longer a surprise that he was an ANBU as such a young age. If he remembered correctly Zetsu had just reported before they had left for the mission that the family had been wiped out except for one little boy. "You must be the one that killed off the family then. I highly doubt you would humiliate yourself by fleeing your death while the rest perished. No wonder you are so far from home." Well the boy just saved them all a lot of trouble. Pein had wanted them to locate the one that had massacred the Uchiha clan. He could tell it was a sore subject when the boy curled right against him and hid his face against his chest.

"Yes," Itachi whispered. The event was still too near to his mind to allow him to hold his usual cold attitude. Besides, this man had helped him. If he knew about it then he would tell the truth if asked. This man was not of Konoha, he was from Kiri from what his forehead protector stated. If this man wanted to kill him he would have done so all ready. Looking to the side he spotted where his clothes were laid out by the fire next to those of his companion. It was there that he spotted the signature of the most notorious criminal organization known. The black cloak with red clouds. This man was from the Akatsuki. Not much was known about the organization or it's members, even with everything he knew he could not figure out why he would be taken alive.

He could have guessed though speaking the man's strange appearance. It was rumored that the Akatsuki had a bunch of very strange looking members that would be hard to miss. He had studied up on what he could about all of them, it had not been much. Having been ANBU commander he had needed to know these all he could about something that might pose a threat to Konoha. "Hoshigaki Kisame. S-Class missing shinobi of Kiri and member of the Seven Swordman of the Mist. Scourge of the Mist." He recited quietly remembering what little there was on the swordsman. As notorious as the man was there was little information on him but description. All records in Kiri had been destroyed or lost years ago, most knowing anything about him dead. Just about everyone who went against him did not live to tell the details. Those that did manage to survive were physiologically a mess and were not able to tell fantasy from reality.

The man was not as frightening as he would have imagined. He looked up into the strange silver eyes as the man chuckled. "You've done your homework. Yead, that would be me." Itachi was not sure what color the man's skin really was. The fire played off of it strangely, all he knew was that it was not normal. It had been said that man had blue skin and he was beginning to think that it was true. "Just rest up Itachi. I won't try anything I promise. Leader-sama would kill me if I hurt you. He wants to speak with you personally. He is quite impressed with what you did."

It was not the best situation to be in but it was the only option that Itachi had. It would allow him to keep a job and money. He would also be able to keep an eye on them to make sure that Konoha was protected, therefore his little brother would be safe. Any other villages could rot in hell for all he cared, they meant nothing to him.

"Now go to sleep. We have a long way to get to base." The clothes would be dry soon meaning they would be able to leave shortly. He did not want to hang around the area longer than he had to. Besides, he was he was quite comfortable like this. No one ever stayed near him for this long, not even his own partner unless it was to use him as a pillow. It was...nice to have someone not pull away out of fright or disgust.

"Kisame?" Itachi asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes Itachi?" The shark responded looking down at the small boy.

"You're blue..." The boy stated bluntly causing the older man to chuckle lightly.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Kisames replied ruffling the boy's hair. The pout he recieved was just too adorable. He was pretty sure it was not normal for the Uchiha, he was tired and weak making it hard to control his emotional reactions. "Don't worry about it. I'm not offended. Runs in my family...I guess. I was the only one born like this." He shrugged. No one had really ever given him an explanation about it. He never asked either, he was strong and that was all that mattered in the end.

"Kisame?"

"Yes Itachi?"

"Thank you..."

"You're welcome..." At least it was not another stupid comment or question. Though he was sure the boy was curious over his appearances and shark-like nature. The only oddity that Konoha had was Orochimaru and he was mild compared to him in looks. "Just rest, you have a long day ahead of you."